TEHRAN – Some 150 new Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) filling stations are going to be operational throughout Iran by the end of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20, 2019), Mehr news agency reported on Monday quoting a CNG official.

“So far, 2,436 CNG stations have gone operational across the country and with the new sites being set up, this number will reach 2,586 by the end of this year”, Mohammad Qasemin, executive director of National Iranian Oil Products Distribution Company (NIOPDC)’s CNG program said.

According to the official, currently gasoline accounts for up to 50 percent of the country’s fuel consumption while CNG’s share is only 13 percent.

“Replacing gasoline with clearer fuels like CNG will not only have positive environmental impacts but also will result in fuel management and balancing the country’s fuel consumption variety,” Qasemi noted.

NIOPDC plans to increase the share of CNG in the country’s fuel consumption pattern to 20 percent in near future.

EF/MA